Jurassic World 2 is Going to be a Lot Darker and Scarier

The film is shrouded in secrecy, but Chris Pratt is saying to expect a darker, scarier Jurassic Park next year.

Were you concerned that a dude commanding a pack of raptors maybe diminished the scare value of said raptors? Well, things might be changing when Jurassic World 2 stomps into theaters next year. While on a promo tour for Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2, Chris Pratt talked a little about the next Jurassic movie, teasing that it’ll be darker and scarier.

Here’s the money quote from Pratt: “Deep emotions and suspense. I think it’s going to be a scarier version. A little bit darker and will continue to expand and carry the story forward in a way that is really unexpected and you wouldn’t have imagined.” It’s not too surprising that there might be a tonal shift — the director of Jurassic World, Colin Trevorrow, is subbing out for J.A. Bayona. Bayona was behind the camera of last year’s A Monster Calls, a visual delight involving a giant tree monster. We feel good about him being entrusted with dinosaurs.

Jurassic World wasn’t exactly a scary movie, but it wasn’t all smiles, either — we are talking about a movie where someone got tossed around by a number of pterodactyls before getting swallowed by a lake dinosaur. Of course, it’s unlikely Jurassic World 2 will just go for easy jump scares — around when Jurassic World came out, Colin Trevorrow said something about the possibility of others making dinosaurs. If this means Jurassic World 2 is about raptor scientists starting their own dino eugenics program on Isla Nublar, I’m all in. Raptor scientists sound very terrifying.

Whatever is being planned, it’s worth doing — Jurassic World pulled in well over $1.6 billion during its theatrical run, so there’s no doubt that dinosaurs are back in business. Jurassic World 2 is slated to hit theaters on June 22, 2018.